A Different Life
by Melaka-Fray
Summary: What if Buffy's life had been played out differently? What if there had been slight alterations to her upbringing. What kind of Slayer would she have been?


Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. But thanks to Joss Whedon and Co.  ;-D

Prologue: 

New York, 1993

Twelve-year-old Buffy Anne Summers sat in the back of the van with her two best friends, Brenda Quinn and Fiona Troy. Her mom and dad were in the front of the van, softly talking. Buffy wasn't paying too much attention to her parents; instead she was too busy talking to Brenda and Fiona about what games they were going to play that night.

"I'm thinking Boy Talk," Fiona exclaimed excitedly, as she twirled her curly honey blonde locks. "We could talk about Buffy's crush on Kevin Sanford!" 

"Or we could not," Buffy answered back, blushing wildly. Kevin was this adorable eighth grader that attended Benson Alden Junior High with her, Fiona, and Brenda. Buffy had had the largest crush on him ever since she and her friends had first started junior high, when Buffy had accidentally slammed into Kevin while running to her gym class, which she wanted to desperately get out of. A knock on her head and a sprained ankle had sent the both of them to the nurse's office, where between ice packs and calls home, the two had started talking to each other and hit it off. Until she discovered that Kevin was dating Cherie Slivovitz, the most popular girl at Benson Alden. It was pretty much when Buffy had given up hope that she and Kevin were going to do the dating thing. 

Besides, she doubted that Hank Summers would be much for the dating thing. Buffy and Hank didn't share the best relationship. Never had, in fact. Buffy and Joyce Summers, on the other hand, were extremely close. Buffy figured that it was a girl thing. 

"We could play Skeletons in the Closet!" Brenda cried. Brenda had a thing for the macabre and the spooky. Her favorite movie was the Exorcist and she continually went into empty, dark bathrooms and spun around in circles claiming that she believed in Bloody Mary. "Or, you know, do the Ouija board. Or Bloody Mary!" 

"Or we could watch the Power Girl marathon on Nick at Night," Buffy offered. The young Summers girl wasn't much for the whole horror story thing, and she did not believe in ghosts or vampires, or any of the other so-called spooky things out there. Buffy was more practical than that. She believed in clothes, and make-up, and boys, and hopefully one day marrying Christian Slater (or Jonathan Taylor Thomas if Christian Slater got too old too fast) and moving to Europe. 

Creatures of the night simply did not exist. 

Which is why Buffy hated the fact that twenty minutes later found the three girls inside Buffy's bathroom with the lights turned off.

While the girls had been preparing for a night of fun and games (Joyce had promised them a trip to the mall first thing the next morning, which had them over-excited in any case), Joyce and Hank had retired to their bedroom. Hank was sleepy and Joyce was complaining of a chest pain and an asthma attack. Though Hank was worried, Buffy thought nothing of it. Joyce had many minor asthma attacks, and she was always pretty okay. 

So, Buffy was in the bathroom with Fiona and Brenda and not at all happy. She was, though, dressed up as Power Girl. It made her feel just a little bit better, like a nice security blanket. 

"Okay, so, are you guys ready?" Fiona asked a little too happily, her aquamarine eyes glittering. Brenda nodded and Buffy sighed and gave a slight nod. 

"Sure." 

"Great. So, you guys know the story, right?"

"Spooky old bloody lady tries to slit our throats? Yeah." Brenda replied. 

"Not just that," Fiona said, "there's more." 

"Such as?" Buffy asked skeptically. 

"Mary Worth was a woman wronged, a woman whose child was stolen away from her. She seeks revenge on all mankind for stealing her baby, and she'll claw your eyes out, rip out your skin, and make you slit your throat. And if you still don't die………she'll haunt you in every mirror and reflective surface you pass. Even pots and pans."

"Okayyyyy," Buffy said, heading for the door. "I think I hafta go to the bathroom now."

"We're in the bathroom, silly," Brenda said, stopping Buffy. 

"Oh………right. Well, Mom's bathroom then," Buffy said, trying once more. 

"Oh come on Buffy, it's only a game. Nothing ever really happens," Fiona insisted.

"Says the girl who belongs on the cover of Young Macabre Magazine."

"Buffy!" 

"Alright, alright. Let's get this over with. The Power Girl marathon starts in a half hour." 

"Great!" Fiona exclaimed, grabbing one of Buffy's hands and one of Brenda's. "Now, follow my lead," she said starting to move to the right. The other two girls started moving to their respective rights, and, following Fiona's lead, they started chanting, "Bloody Mary, we have your baby. Bloody Mary, we have your baby. Bloody Mary, we have your baby."  
  


The three girls opened their eyes, but nothing. 

For a moment. 

Then there was a flash of light, and something swirling in the mirror………

Buffy screamed and flipped on the light, as Fiona and Brenda scrambled out the door. 

"That was -"

"Freaky!" 

Buffy opened her mouth to say something when she heard a scream come from her parents' room. A blood-curdling, male sounding scream. Buffy, Brenda, and Fiona ran to the room together and threw the door open.

What they saw scared them.

Joyce Summers, lying on the bed in her party dress, her eyes wide open, a blank expression on her face. Her pale face. 

Joyce Summers was dead. 

And the three girls shuddered silently. It was their fault. It had to be. 

They had killed Joyce Summers. 

Buffy had helped in killing her own mother………

Note: Hey guys, this was a thought that had just suddenly struck meeh one niyte. What if the Slayer had a life that had started out differently? What would she be like when she was Called? This is one of the many possibilities that I think might have happened. Reviews are always welcome, as are flamers! 


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